ULTRAMagic Eon 2 - Chapter 11
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Following the intel The Hunger had just imparted to the guild, everyone present could tell Blood-Wraith was about to lose his temper. He always had that moment of calmness before his anger really took off. “So, Karnage captured Odo… SOURCE DAMN IT!” he screamed as he flipped an empty table, greatly startling everyone. “WE TOLD HIM SKY DEATH ABYSS WAS RISKY! AND DID HE LISTEN TO US!? NO!!” The others tried to calm him down, but to no avail with Blood-Wraith shoving them aside. “NO, I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT EASY. KARNAGE IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO ACHIEVING HIS PLANS AND WE’RE JUST SITTING HERE TWIDDLING OUR THUMBS.” Blood-Wraith then stormed out of the main hall as quickly as he could, emanating yellow sparks as he did.
“DAMN IT!” Tiberius cursed, knowing this would happen. “Everyone after him before he hurts himself!”
“Don’t panic, I was warned this could happen!” The Hunger said as he sank into a portal of golden, blood-like fire. Before Blood-Wraith could take off as Golden Dragon, The Hunger appeared outside the gate and threw glowing, gold chains around him as he began to take off. “BLOOD-WRAITH, STOP!”
“DAMN IT, LET ME GO!” he protested as he fought back against the grip of the magic.
“USE YOUR HEAD, BLOOD!”
The Fear had gone to his brother’s side to help him, but was of little actual aid. “Wow, I thought this spell only worked on primordials…”
“Not now, brother…” The Hunger grunted as he strained to bring Blood-Wraith down. The others soon joined the two as Blood-Wraith hit the ground with a thud. “Blood, what I was about to say was that we believe Karnage may be after you. You have a fragment of his power, and he may be using Odo to get to you to reclaim that power.”
“For the love of the Source, boy!” Tiberius scolded. “Did you learn nothing from what happened to Will all those years ago?!” Valerie smiled and had to slightly avert her gaze.
Blood-Wraith gave a soft growl as he reverted back to normal, still wrapped in the chains. “Damn it… you can let me go now…”
“Keep him restrained, Hunger,” Dragoslava cautioned.
“Agreed,” he replied.
“HEY!” Blood-Wraith protested.
Tressacht could not help but laugh, with Blood-Wraith endearing himself to him once again. “Can’t fault him for his tenacity.”
Valerie stepped over and placed her hand on Blood-Wraith’s shoulder. “This has hit Lia and Adriana pretty hard too, Blood. We can’t just rush in all guns blazing though. You know how dangerous Karnage is and can be…”
“Let’s not be hasty about this, Blood,” Gummi warned. “Trust me, I know how these rats work…”
There was a moment’s pause before Blood-Wraith finally sighed and relaxed. “Fine…” The Hunger then released his spell, with Blood-Wraith turning to the horizon and yelling “KARNAGE, WE’RE COMING FOR YOU, YOU NO-GOOD, WASTE OF PNEUMA!"
“Goodness, Blood, are you sure you’re good now?” Ludwig questioned, given his faint memories of such admirable insubordination of his own men. “I don’t mean to bash you, just…”
“I’m good, Ludwig.”
Deimos could not hide the regretful look on his face, as it was his miscalculations that led to Blood-Wraith requiring a fraction of their enemy’s power so long ago. “Look, Blood, I can’t say why quite yet, but I am partially to blame for your current predicament. Take solace in the fact that this has kept me up at night, and I am spearheading the efforts to stop Karnage and get Odo back…”
Blood-Wraith stared at him for a second, like he could just barely remember a promise Deimos had made to him a long time ago, strangely before he had met Dragoslava. “Jeez, and I thought we were done with the secrets…” He then went and gave Deimos a hug. “And let me guess, you too, Tressacht?”
He chuckled, feeling bad for the young ar’ton. “Unfortunately, Blood. My father sent me and Sigeberht to the past to make sure everything goes according to plan, but obviously I cannot reveal my father’s identity, nor the parameters for what defines everything as going according to plan. Just know that you have a seasoned and powerful ally on your side for the foreseeable future.”
The Hunger then realized something important. “Hold on, Tressacht, this all wouldn’t happen to relate to Mr. MP, would it?”
“It may, Hunger. It just may. Regardless of who Mr. MP is, he has a crucial interest in the events that transpire henceforth. To say we are in a unique set of circumstances right now is an understatement…” He was interrupted by his pocket watch chiming. “Blast… My apologies, everyone, but Sigeberht requires my assistance. I’ll share more information as it becomes relevant,” Tressacht called out as he stepped away to summon and enter a portal of water-like energy. “Farewell for now and best of luck to all of you.”
Blood-Wraith exhaled after a moment’s pause and crossed his arms, turning to The Hunger. “So does the God of The Abyss have anything to say about all of this?”
The Hunger sighed, with a subtle disappointment in his voice.. “Aside from the usual hands-off stance, they have been asked by someone to let things play out as is…”
Blood-Wraith was beyond confused and his incredulous look said it all. “Wait, what? Excuse me, BUT WE HAVE A LITERAL GOD UNDERNEATH THE CITY and she’s not getting involved period? Again, WHAT?”
“Strange indeed, implying there’s a great deal of things we are not supposed to be privy to at the moment,” David reasoned. “It must be truly important if we’re not being told what the issue is.”
“Yeah, again, par for the course,” Shaye remarked as he crushed his cigarette on the road. “You only tell the troops what they need to know so they don’t spoil the plan to the enemy. You know, loose lips sink ships and whatnot.”
“But wouldn’t that imply there’s something dire awaiting Blood?” Ahhotep brought up with clear concern in her voice.
They all stood there for a moment in silent contemplation, the wind gently blowing past them before Blood-Wraith broke the silence. “Well it wouldn’t be the first time, ha!” He then sighed. “I wish Leif had told us more about this stuff, but there’s not much we can do about it now other than play our parts, I guess…”
“I figured you would have been more tightly strung about this, Blood,” Dragolsava remarked with a chuckle.
“Well I am, but Hunger made his reservations crystal clear to me-also good lord, don’t tell Eloise about the chains!” This made them laugh, especially Shaye, who was surprised by his sense of humor.
That calm night Blood-Wraith was back at his house and in the backyard, stargazing. As to be expected he was watching Leif’s constellation as the cool breeze caressed his face, hoping to gain an epiphany. “I wish you were here, Leif…”
Just then, a small glowing bird flew towards him with the sound of crystals rubbing against each other and transformed into a glowing, light-construct of Eloise, who looked stronger and older. Of note was that half of her body was now metal. “Hey, Blood!”
“Eloise, hey!” It was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. “How are you doing? Getting the hang of the messenger spell, I see...”
“Yeah, Bismuth and Mercury helped me out this time. Things are going well…” There was a soft explosion in the background. “...for the most part. Ferro wanted us to collect a batch of rare gems from a temple of the Epoch-Transition phase before he really starts helping build the Metal Fortress.”
“Things here are… Well, they’re certainly going. We’ve made good progress against the activists. We even recruited one of them right out from under Karnage’s nose in front of his face. Today? Well it was something else…”
“Oof. I can tell by that pause it wasn’t fun…”
Blood-Wraith stretched a little in his lawnchair. “Hunger told us more about Operation Brutus and confirmed a lot of what I’ve been telling you.”
Eloise looked very concerned. “Okay, Blood? We don’t have the Metal Army fully ready to go yet, but we can at least provide some help…”
“Stay with Ferro for now, Eloise, just in case things go south.”
“Are you sure about that, Blood?”
Blood-Wraith sat up straight and had a sip of his rootbeer. “Yeah. Besides, I don’t want you to get hurt. And if something happens to the guild, you’ll need to take the reins…”
“You know I don’t like it when you talk like that, Blood… but if I must, I must.” Eloise then took a breath to ease her nerves. “So what’s this I hear about Morrigan trying to get chummy with you?”
“That… jeez, it’s just Morrigan being a girl…”
“Mm-hmm, can relate.”
Blood-Wraith laughed, realizing the irony. “I suppose you noticed the elephant in the room?”
“That she’s dating Karnage?”
“Yeah… Not only is she being played like a fiddle, it doesn’t feel right. She’s not supposed to be with him, gut feeling.”
“Anyone actually ideal in mind?”
“Honestly, as strange as it sounds, Will. She’s the kind of quirky goofball that would be perfect for him. He was mentioning someone named ‘Sam’ when he was with us, so it makes me wonder…”
“You think Morrigan could be Sam?”
“Her past self? Yes.”
“Well I guess it’ll really depend on what she does after you talk some sense into her and defeat Karnage.”
“Yeah… Oh, not to be the bearer of bad news, but we’re certain Karnage captured Odo.”
Eloise took a breath and nodded. “Are you one hundred percent sure you don’t want me to do something about it? Bismuth and Mercury are nothing to sneeze at in battle…”
“Positive. Hunger and Tressacht are keeping secrets, so you know what that implies…”
She groaned. “Yup, it’s more complicated than it appears… You know, as I mature, I’m starting to realize why my mom was so adamant about sticking to her guns. You won’t get anywhere if your plans aren’t straight forward and focused.”
“I know, right?” Blood-Wraith said as he finished his can of soda. “You should have seen David utterly destroy Karnage at the debate. Also Razor is really warming up to David.”
“That’s good to hear, as I’m quickly learning that a disorganized force is a weak one…”
Blood-Wraith chuckled. “Indeed. Hey, speaking of the metal constructs…”
“Actually I’m considering calling them ‘Iron Constructs’ now.”
“Fine with me-how’s it going with them and your void magic with The Iron God?”
“Interesting…” Eloise seemed a little frustrated, but in an earnest way. “The constructs have a lot of kinks to work out still and the void magic… Blood, how in the source do you and The Screaming God make it look so easy?”
Blood-Wraith laughed a little as he stood up to stretch his legs. “We just click together-we’re both oddballs in our home realms. Come up with any spells yet?”
“Three, believe it or not: Iref, Cie and Letes. I was hoping to have more finalized by now though…”
“That’s a good start, Eloise. Dunja always says it’s not the amount of spells you have, but the meaning behind them. Don’t fret, the rest will come to you naturally in due time.”
Eloise sighed as she straightened out her belt. “I wish they’d come sooner, as I feel like we’re on borrowed time at the moment.”
Blood-Wraith sat back down and tapped his arm rest as the fireflies flew past and the crickets chirped away in the trees. “I got a bad feeling about next week…”
“BOY, What did I just say?! Do we need to haul it over there?!”
Blood-Wraith realized he had backed himself into a corner, given Eloise’s concern for him. “I mean, it’s an ambient worry, given the little stunt Karnage pulled earlier…”
Eloise gave an exasperated sigh that bordered on being a grunt. “Good lord, Blood, what am I going to do with you? We can’t get the Metal Army off the ground soon enough, can we?”
Next: Chapter 12
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
Master Post - Patreon
Following the intel The Hunger had just imparted to the guild, everyone present could tell Blood-Wraith was about to lose his temper. He always had that moment of calmness before his anger really took off. “So, Karnage captured Odo… SOURCE DAMN IT!” he screamed as he flipped an empty table, greatly startling everyone. “WE TOLD HIM SKY DEATH ABYSS WAS RISKY! AND DID HE LISTEN TO US!? NO!!” The others tried to calm him down, but to no avail with Blood-Wraith shoving them aside. “NO, I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT EASY. KARNAGE IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO ACHIEVING HIS PLANS AND WE’RE JUST SITTING HERE TWIDDLING OUR THUMBS.” Blood-Wraith then stormed out of the main hall as quickly as he could, emanating yellow sparks as he did.
“DAMN IT!” Tiberius cursed, knowing this would happen. “Everyone after him before he hurts himself!”
“Don’t panic, I was warned this could happen!” The Hunger said as he sank into a portal of golden, blood-like fire. Before Blood-Wraith could take off as Golden Dragon, The Hunger appeared outside the gate and threw glowing, gold chains around him as he began to take off. “BLOOD-WRAITH, STOP!”
“DAMN IT, LET ME GO!” he protested as he fought back against the grip of the magic.
“USE YOUR HEAD, BLOOD!”
The Fear had gone to his brother’s side to help him, but was of little actual aid. “Wow, I thought this spell only worked on primordials…”
“Not now, brother…” The Hunger grunted as he strained to bring Blood-Wraith down. The others soon joined the two as Blood-Wraith hit the ground with a thud. “Blood, what I was about to say was that we believe Karnage may be after you. You have a fragment of his power, and he may be using Odo to get to you to reclaim that power.”
“For the love of the Source, boy!” Tiberius scolded. “Did you learn nothing from what happened to Will all those years ago?!” Valerie smiled and had to slightly avert her gaze.
Blood-Wraith gave a soft growl as he reverted back to normal, still wrapped in the chains. “Damn it… you can let me go now…”
“Keep him restrained, Hunger,” Dragoslava cautioned.
“Agreed,” he replied.
“HEY!” Blood-Wraith protested.
Tressacht could not help but laugh, with Blood-Wraith endearing himself to him once again. “Can’t fault him for his tenacity.”
Valerie stepped over and placed her hand on Blood-Wraith’s shoulder. “This has hit Lia and Adriana pretty hard too, Blood. We can’t just rush in all guns blazing though. You know how dangerous Karnage is and can be…”
“Let’s not be hasty about this, Blood,” Gummi warned. “Trust me, I know how these rats work…”
There was a moment’s pause before Blood-Wraith finally sighed and relaxed. “Fine…” The Hunger then released his spell, with Blood-Wraith turning to the horizon and yelling “KARNAGE, WE’RE COMING FOR YOU, YOU NO-GOOD, WASTE OF PNEUMA!"
“Goodness, Blood, are you sure you’re good now?” Ludwig questioned, given his faint memories of such admirable insubordination of his own men. “I don’t mean to bash you, just…”
“I’m good, Ludwig.”
Deimos could not hide the regretful look on his face, as it was his miscalculations that led to Blood-Wraith requiring a fraction of their enemy’s power so long ago. “Look, Blood, I can’t say why quite yet, but I am partially to blame for your current predicament. Take solace in the fact that this has kept me up at night, and I am spearheading the efforts to stop Karnage and get Odo back…”
Blood-Wraith stared at him for a second, like he could just barely remember a promise Deimos had made to him a long time ago, strangely before he had met Dragoslava. “Jeez, and I thought we were done with the secrets…” He then went and gave Deimos a hug. “And let me guess, you too, Tressacht?”
He chuckled, feeling bad for the young ar’ton. “Unfortunately, Blood. My father sent me and Sigeberht to the past to make sure everything goes according to plan, but obviously I cannot reveal my father’s identity, nor the parameters for what defines everything as going according to plan. Just know that you have a seasoned and powerful ally on your side for the foreseeable future.”
The Hunger then realized something important. “Hold on, Tressacht, this all wouldn’t happen to relate to Mr. MP, would it?”
“It may, Hunger. It just may. Regardless of who Mr. MP is, he has a crucial interest in the events that transpire henceforth. To say we are in a unique set of circumstances right now is an understatement…” He was interrupted by his pocket watch chiming. “Blast… My apologies, everyone, but Sigeberht requires my assistance. I’ll share more information as it becomes relevant,” Tressacht called out as he stepped away to summon and enter a portal of water-like energy. “Farewell for now and best of luck to all of you.”
Blood-Wraith exhaled after a moment’s pause and crossed his arms, turning to The Hunger. “So does the God of The Abyss have anything to say about all of this?”
The Hunger sighed, with a subtle disappointment in his voice.. “Aside from the usual hands-off stance, they have been asked by someone to let things play out as is…”
Blood-Wraith was beyond confused and his incredulous look said it all. “Wait, what? Excuse me, BUT WE HAVE A LITERAL GOD UNDERNEATH THE CITY and she’s not getting involved period? Again, WHAT?”
“Strange indeed, implying there’s a great deal of things we are not supposed to be privy to at the moment,” David reasoned. “It must be truly important if we’re not being told what the issue is.”
“Yeah, again, par for the course,” Shaye remarked as he crushed his cigarette on the road. “You only tell the troops what they need to know so they don’t spoil the plan to the enemy. You know, loose lips sink ships and whatnot.”
“But wouldn’t that imply there’s something dire awaiting Blood?” Ahhotep brought up with clear concern in her voice.
They all stood there for a moment in silent contemplation, the wind gently blowing past them before Blood-Wraith broke the silence. “Well it wouldn’t be the first time, ha!” He then sighed. “I wish Leif had told us more about this stuff, but there’s not much we can do about it now other than play our parts, I guess…”
“I figured you would have been more tightly strung about this, Blood,” Dragolsava remarked with a chuckle.
“Well I am, but Hunger made his reservations crystal clear to me-also good lord, don’t tell Eloise about the chains!” This made them laugh, especially Shaye, who was surprised by his sense of humor.
That calm night Blood-Wraith was back at his house and in the backyard, stargazing. As to be expected he was watching Leif’s constellation as the cool breeze caressed his face, hoping to gain an epiphany. “I wish you were here, Leif…”
Just then, a small glowing bird flew towards him with the sound of crystals rubbing against each other and transformed into a glowing, light-construct of Eloise, who looked stronger and older. Of note was that half of her body was now metal. “Hey, Blood!”
“Eloise, hey!” It was a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. “How are you doing? Getting the hang of the messenger spell, I see...”
“Yeah, Bismuth and Mercury helped me out this time. Things are going well…” There was a soft explosion in the background. “...for the most part. Ferro wanted us to collect a batch of rare gems from a temple of the Epoch-Transition phase before he really starts helping build the Metal Fortress.”
“Things here are… Well, they’re certainly going. We’ve made good progress against the activists. We even recruited one of them right out from under Karnage’s nose in front of his face. Today? Well it was something else…”
“Oof. I can tell by that pause it wasn’t fun…”
Blood-Wraith stretched a little in his lawnchair. “Hunger told us more about Operation Brutus and confirmed a lot of what I’ve been telling you.”
Eloise looked very concerned. “Okay, Blood? We don’t have the Metal Army fully ready to go yet, but we can at least provide some help…”
“Stay with Ferro for now, Eloise, just in case things go south.”
“Are you sure about that, Blood?”
Blood-Wraith sat up straight and had a sip of his rootbeer. “Yeah. Besides, I don’t want you to get hurt. And if something happens to the guild, you’ll need to take the reins…”
“You know I don’t like it when you talk like that, Blood… but if I must, I must.” Eloise then took a breath to ease her nerves. “So what’s this I hear about Morrigan trying to get chummy with you?”
“That… jeez, it’s just Morrigan being a girl…”
“Mm-hmm, can relate.”
Blood-Wraith laughed, realizing the irony. “I suppose you noticed the elephant in the room?”
“That she’s dating Karnage?”
“Yeah… Not only is she being played like a fiddle, it doesn’t feel right. She’s not supposed to be with him, gut feeling.”
“Anyone actually ideal in mind?”
“Honestly, as strange as it sounds, Will. She’s the kind of quirky goofball that would be perfect for him. He was mentioning someone named ‘Sam’ when he was with us, so it makes me wonder…”
“You think Morrigan could be Sam?”
“Her past self? Yes.”
“Well I guess it’ll really depend on what she does after you talk some sense into her and defeat Karnage.”
“Yeah… Oh, not to be the bearer of bad news, but we’re certain Karnage captured Odo.”
Eloise took a breath and nodded. “Are you one hundred percent sure you don’t want me to do something about it? Bismuth and Mercury are nothing to sneeze at in battle…”
“Positive. Hunger and Tressacht are keeping secrets, so you know what that implies…”
She groaned. “Yup, it’s more complicated than it appears… You know, as I mature, I’m starting to realize why my mom was so adamant about sticking to her guns. You won’t get anywhere if your plans aren’t straight forward and focused.”
“I know, right?” Blood-Wraith said as he finished his can of soda. “You should have seen David utterly destroy Karnage at the debate. Also Razor is really warming up to David.”
“That’s good to hear, as I’m quickly learning that a disorganized force is a weak one…”
Blood-Wraith chuckled. “Indeed. Hey, speaking of the metal constructs…”
“Actually I’m considering calling them ‘Iron Constructs’ now.”
“Fine with me-how’s it going with them and your void magic with The Iron God?”
“Interesting…” Eloise seemed a little frustrated, but in an earnest way. “The constructs have a lot of kinks to work out still and the void magic… Blood, how in the source do you and The Screaming God make it look so easy?”
Blood-Wraith laughed a little as he stood up to stretch his legs. “We just click together-we’re both oddballs in our home realms. Come up with any spells yet?”
“Three, believe it or not: Iref, Cie and Letes. I was hoping to have more finalized by now though…”
“That’s a good start, Eloise. Dunja always says it’s not the amount of spells you have, but the meaning behind them. Don’t fret, the rest will come to you naturally in due time.”
Eloise sighed as she straightened out her belt. “I wish they’d come sooner, as I feel like we’re on borrowed time at the moment.”
Blood-Wraith sat back down and tapped his arm rest as the fireflies flew past and the crickets chirped away in the trees. “I got a bad feeling about next week…”
“BOY, What did I just say?! Do we need to haul it over there?!”
Blood-Wraith realized he had backed himself into a corner, given Eloise’s concern for him. “I mean, it’s an ambient worry, given the little stunt Karnage pulled earlier…”
Eloise gave an exasperated sigh that bordered on being a grunt. “Good lord, Blood, what am I going to do with you? We can’t get the Metal Army off the ground soon enough, can we?”
Next: Chapter 12
ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)
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